★★★★★
The 2018 Korean drama starring Jung
Kyung-Ho as Han Tae-Joon, Park Sung-Woong as Kang Dong-Chul, Go Ah-Sung as Yoon
Na-Yeong, Oh Dae-Hwan as Lee Yong-Gi, and Noh Jong-Hyun as Jo Nam-Sik. Directed
by Lee Jung-Hyo and based on the BBC Life
on Mars by Matthew Graham, Tony Jordan, and Ashley Pharoah.
Brief summary: In 2018, Lieutenant Han
Tae-Joon is an expert forensics analyst, removed from the all the action until
a fellow detective comes to him for help with a perplexing case. As Tae-Joon
helps chase down the murderer, he becomes seriously injured and everything goes
black. When he wakes up, he’s somehow in Insung during 1988! He has no idea
what’s going on yet his only hope seems to lie in the Insung PD Violent Crimes
Unit 3. But what exactly is a dream and what is reality?
The ultimate success of this drama is
pulling off 1988 Insung. The set, costuming and even music works to throw you
into the Korean 80s. The producers really try to distinguish everything in
contrast to 2018. We almost want to classify the drama as a sageuk for its
historical representation, but we need more guidelines to really identify it as
one. Regardless, you’re sure to get your 80’s fix from Life on Mars!
This drama doesn’t really have weaknesses
as much as tact that might annoy you ever-so-slightly. Sometimes the plot is
incredibly confusing. We only get to know as much as the main characters knows,
which is apparently not a lot! The slow-burning romance could also get on your
nerves. Does it exist or doesn’t it? It exists enough that I’d acknowledge it,
but by “slow-burning,” we really mean that it’s more like that 16-hour crockpot
recipe your grandma left you.
Some of the lines were surprisingly
creative! There are a few that make you think on your own experience, compared
to the drama, such as “You are yourself, wherever you are” (episode 2). I
personally love what Yoon Na-Yeong said about fathers; “Have you ever seen your
father’s back? Fathers always want to see, stable and reliable to their
families. My Father was like that too. And I only realized when I got older
that he also had a shabbier side to him and was suffering behind his confident
façade. Fathers don’t want to show that side of themselves to their children.
Because they want to remain as confident and cool fathers in their children’s
memories.” Han Tae-Joon repeats her words to a kid, adding “Dads always want to
be the best fathers to their kids.” When I was a child, my father seemed
invincible and strong, like a superhero. Only when I got older did I realize
that although my father certainly has a lot of strengths, he’s not invincible
and he’s not perfect. He is a person just like anyone else with his own
struggles and imperfections. But that doesn’t mean he can’t still be the
superhero of my childhood. Think about your relationship with your own father.
Maybe he’s not your biological father, but an adopted one. Maybe you’ve fallen
out of contact for a while. Maybe his struggles overcame him. Whatever your
situation is, if you think back on the times you were happiest with your father
figure maybe you’ll figure out what the true essence of fatherhood is.
Out of all the characters, I think most of
us can agree that Officer Yoon Na-Yeong is the most impressive! She’s the cute
young lady trying to make her way in a world and career run by men, but she’s
got the strength and the wit to put them to shame. We learn just how strong she
really is, especially how she can take down anyone
in a fight (episodes 3 and 6)!
The fight scenes are thrilling and the
drama does a lot with them. I particularly liked the silhouette street fight in
episode 15 and the “silent” fist fight in episode 3. The silent fight reflects
a classic universal trope, but putting it in a public hospital was a nice
twist. Among other things I noticed, all ARMY might want to keep a sharp eye
out for BTS in episode 8 and as a personal note, the interrogation in the
freezer (ep 9) was pure genius! The unit’s investigation methods also make me
wish neighborhood networking was still a thing.
Han Tae-Joon is told in the final episode
“The place you can live with a smile is your reality.” Don’t get too busy in
this bustling life to forget that life is about pursuing joy. Life is meant to
be lived happily and with those who can bring you happiness. If you’re finding
this life miserable, maybe it’s time to make some personal and active choices
to pursue your own happiness. Just make sure you understand what happiness is
and how to effectively attain it first before jumping to any rash decisions.
As crazy and confusing as this drama may
appear, it is fantastic. I laughed. I cried. I haven’t seen the BBC original
for comparison, but if the original is half as impressive, I’d down to watch it
as well. So for a fantastic drama, 5/5 stars!
Warning: the graphics are a little gross,
especially in sound which can be very realistic! This drama is definitely for
mature audiences (please take the 15+ rating seriously), but it’s not
necessarily for anything starkly inappropriate beyond violence, graphics, and
sheer plot complexity.
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